Tucking mechanism for circular-knitting machines



E. JACKSON I TUCKING MECHANISM FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES Dec. 21 1926. 1,611,450

Filed Dec. 20, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet '1 a as 97 6 42 67 EH J Jao attouuzqd I I Dec. 21 1926.

E. JACKSON TUCKING MECHANISM F 11 CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 20 192 3 45m: m Jib/4071. 3

Patented Dec. 21, 1926.

UNITED STATES EDWARD JACKSON, OF READIIYG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE NOLIDE .AND HORST COMPANY, OF READING, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYL- VANIA.

TUGKING MECHANISM FOR CIRCULAR-KNITTING MACHINES.

Application filed. December 20, 1923. Serial No. 681,707.

My invention relates to circular knitting machines and particularly to those adapted for tuck stitch work and employing determined long latch needles with intermittently actuated latch-clearing cam-mecha nism therefor; my object being to provide for the automatic selection and control of the tucking or non-tucking action of different ones of said long-latch needles, as governed by a pattern mechanism for the production of lace work or clock stripes in circularly knit stockings. My improvements are fully described in connection with the accompanying drawings, and the novel features are particularly set forth in the subjoined claims.

Fig. 1 indicates in side elevation portions of a usual circular knitting machine having my improvements applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a view corresponding with 1 but taken at right angles thereto.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged partial plan view of the knitting head, showing my improved automatic control mechanism for the latch clearing cams. 1

F 'g. 4 is a diagrammatic view showing the knitting cams.

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic showing of an annange-ment of the dillerently hutted circle of needles for producing lace clocks, the heavy lines indicating long latch needles spaced among the regular length latch needles.

Figs. 6 and 7 indicate. respectively the short butt and long butt regular length latch needles and Figs. 8 and 9 indicate the differently butted longer latch needles employed.

. Fig. 10 indicates a pattern disc controlling the selection of long-latch needles; and Fig. 1.1 shows a cam for controlling the tucking or non-tucking action of theneedles in successive courses. v

Fig. 12 is a detail view of a special pattern actuated locking latch device.

Fig. 13 is a diagrammatic view of a portion ot a stocking indicating a clocking pattern producible with my improved mechanism.

The drawings show my improvements applied to the well known Banner type of machine more fully set forth in Hemphill Patent No. 933,443 of Sept. 7, 1909, though the improvements are equally applicable to other known circular knitting machines.

In the drawings A represents the frame oi the machine, B the fixed cam cylinder, 0 the knitting cam head, D the rotated needle cylinder, and E the pattern drum shaft actuated by pattern chain F. These operate in usual known manner for the production of circular knit stockings.

To produce tuck stitches, special longlatch needles are employed as heretofore, spaced among the regular-length latch needles; and to control their tucking or nontuckingmovements special tucking cams are employed, one cam 10 shown being an extension of stitch 'cam 6 for clearing the longer latches and actuated through its projecting shank portion 11 in the manner more fully set forth in Robinson Patent No.

1,425,288, of August 8, 1922. The action of v cam 10 in the present invention is determined by special pattern-controlled mechanism adapted to afiect the movements of said cam so as to produce tuck and non-tuck stitches in selective successive courses, and also to selectively act in each course on determined ones only of said difiierently bntted long-latch needles.

The long-latch needles may be variously disposed among the regular-length latch needles, and in Fig. 5 I. have diagrammatically indicated one arrangement for producing a lace-clock stripe on each side of :a stocking; the radial lines indicating the different butt lengths of their respective needles, the light and heavy lines representing respectively regular length and long-latch needles.- In the arrangement shown, the circular series of needles is divided into the usual half-circle series of long-butt needles 20, and short butt needles 30 employed in knitting stockings; and for producing the lace-clock stripes indicated, alternate tones of the long-butt needles 20, adjacent the diainetral opposite ends of their series, are replaced with long-latch needles. These substitnted long-latch needles, ten as shown, are arranged in groups of difierent buttlengths, the central pair 21, 21 havinginte'n.

mediate-length butts that is ibntts shorter m.

than the series of long-butt needles but longer than the series of short-butt needles 30, the pairs and 22, flanking said central pair, having long-butts corresponding in length with the butts of the series 20; and the end pair 23, 23 and 23, having extra long butts that is longer than the butts of said series 20; preferably leaving as shown, a regular-length latch long-butt needle 20 at each end of the halt-circle series of the latter. 'lucking action on these longlatch needles is effected as usual by clearing their latches only every two or three courses through the extra lilt effected by cam 10 as set out in Robinson patent aforesaid.

My improved mechanism provides for tucking action on selected long-latch needles by detern'iinedly limiting the extent t withdrawal movement of said cam 10 from the path of the needle butts in certain courses, producing tuck stitches on certain needles, as: ()n said central pair 21, 21. only; or on the latter and flanking pairs 22, and 22, 22; or on all sail long-latch needles. By variously arranging said groupings or dittli'erent groupings of long-latch needles, other cti'ects may be readily produced.

Cam 10 is actuated as heretofore through its shank portion 11 and is normally projected into the path ot' the needle butts by spring is and positively withdrawn out of said path when tucking stitches are desired, as set forth in said Robinson patent. in the present construction lever 4:0 is employed to limit said cam movement, said lever being intermediately pivoted at il, and engaging a stud 42 on shank 11, its opposite end 4:53 having imparted to it determined pattern controlled movements to position cam 10 more or less out of the path of the needle butts so as to miss one, two, three, or all the groups of long latch needles 21., 22 and 23.

This pattern mechanism, as shown in the drawings, comprises a pattern disc 50, carried on pattern drum shaft 1]; an intermediately pivoted lever 51, having an end riding on the stepped circumference 01 said disc 50 under tension of spring 52, and its other end connected by a rod 53 to one end of a bell-crank 54. i cam-shifting rod is connected to the other end of said bellcrank and has its free end loosely projected through the apertured end 43 01 lever 4C0; said rod carrying an adjustable stop 56 and compressible spring 57, to respectively engage the opposite faces of said aperturec. lever end d3, so as to position lever L0 and variably limit the withdrawal movement of cam 10 from the path of the needle butts. Spring 57 normally holds lever end 43 against stop 56 but yields to permit independent movement ofl lever 40, as later herein described; and tension of spring 52 being greater than tension of spring 57 permits such independent movement without disturbing the adjusted position of rod 55 and its stop 56. Pattern disc 50 is stepped as shown to variously shift lever t0 and its connected mechanism, and is rotated with the usual pattern drum so as to control the tucking action at the proper time in the knitting of a stocking.

To clear the long latches of their accumulated loops every few courses, the latchclearing cam 10 must be projected fully into the needle path; and this is accomplished, as shown in the drawings by a special disc cam 60, mounted in a bracket 61 and constantly rotated in one direction by a pawl (32, eccentrically carried by the main shaft and actuating ratchet wheels (Set, a detent preventing reverse movement of said disc. Bearing against the cam edge of disc (50 under tension of spring (56, is a push rod (3'? carried by bracket ('38; and said rod, under action oi disc 60, swings lever 520 on its pivot to tree tucking-cam shank 11 to the entering action oi spring i l as heretofore. This swinging movement of lever 40 as before described merely compresses spring 57 without disturbing the adjusted position of stop 56 against which latter lever end 4-3 seats when disc (it) permits push rod (57 to withdraw from contact with lever From the foregoing description it will be seen that the shape of pattern disc 50 will determine the extent of possible moven'ient of tucking cam lron'i none to maxinunn, while cam disc will cause determined intermittent movement of the latter when required to clear the longer latches and the spaced arrangementot the ditlbrently butted long-latch needles will determined the pattern effects possible by the combined action of said discs and 60.

To permit of other tucking stitch effects, independent of those controlled by cam 10, as for instance imitation narrowing marks in the rear half of the stocking leg, I provide, shown in the drawings, extra-shortbutt long-latch needles 80, 8O spaced among the regulardatch short-butt needles 30. And to cause such neeoles 80, 80 to tuck when desired, the top center cam 5 is made slidably retractable from the needle cylinder sutliciently to miss said butts 80, 80 and cause 1 them to pass above stitch cam 7 instead of below the latter, thus retaining the thread loops on their needles until cleared by return movement of cam 5, when they will resume regular knitting travel. This retraction of cam 5 must be timed with the movement of cam 10, taking place when the latter is fully projected into needlebutt path so that the butts of needles 80, 80 will be raised suihciently to pass over top of cam 7. Retractive action of cam 5 is automatically controlled, as shown, by a second pattern disc 105 on pattern shaft E, and a second cam disc 90 carried by bracket 61. Disc 90, as shown, is formed integrally with disc 60 and actuates a push rod 91 carried in bracket 68. A spring 92 holds said rod in contact against said pattern disc, and the forward end is provided with a fixed arm 93 and a resilient arm 94 engaging a stud 5 on cam 5 to respectively Withdraw the latter partly from the path of the needle butts and tension the same for return at the proper time, in a manner similar to the action of cam 10. As cam 90 constantly rotates, rod 91 is provided with a detent 95 for engagement by a locking latch member 96 to hold said rod in extended idle position, to retain cam 5 normally fully projected for regular knitting action. Latch member 96 is pivoted at 97 to the frame and is operated by a lever 98 pivoted at 99, the free end of the latter being connected'by a rod 100 to a patternactuated lever 101 similar to lever 51 and carried on the pivot stud oi the latter. The free end of lever 101 is held by a spring, similar to spring 55, in contact with the cam face of pattern disc 105 and actuated at proper times by the latter to free push rod to the action of disc 90. It will be understood that cam 5 is not limited to action on needle butts intended solely for imitation narrowing marks in a stocking but may be combined with cam 10 and differently located extra short butt long-latch needles in the production of tuck stitch designs.

My improvements thus fully described provide in a simple and effective manner for the automatic production of a great variety of tuck stitch effects, and the. mechanism specifically set forth may obviously be modified in detail without departing from my invention. For instance additional pattern effects may be secured by employing a cam 110 to reraise certain ot the long-latch needles to pass above cam 7 so as to effect tucking action only on the long-butts while regular knitting is efiected on the shorter butts,

such cam 110 being movable into and out of the path of said needle butts and controlled by hand or mechanism similar to pattern discs 50 and 60. Other modifications and arrangements may be readily devised.

What I claim is:

1. In a circular knitting machine, a circular series of needles comprising a number all of which have lengthened latches but certain of which have butts of different length from others, an intermittently operacted radially movable latch-clearing cam for said lengthened-latch needles, and means for limiting said radial movement comprising a movable pattern-controlled rod for said cam, and fixed and yielding stops on said rod adapted respectively to limit the movement of said cam in one direction and permit intermittent movement in a reverse direction.

2. In a circular knitting machine, a circular series of needles comprising a number all of which have lengthened latches but certain of which have butts of diiferent length from others, a radially rovable latch-clearing cam ilor said lengthened-latch needles, a movable member controlling the radial movement of said cam, pattern-drum controlled mechanism for limiting movement of said member in one direction, and a separate pattern disc for eflecting at times reverse movement of said member.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

EDWARD J AGKSON. 

